Old Elthamians RFC has a long and varied history and now only a few Old Boys at the club are able to recount it. Following is a history of how the club came to be; if anyone can offer any old pictures or stories from OEs history, please send to admin@oldelthamiansrfc.com This e-mail address is being protected from spambots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it.

The rugby club was founded in October 1911 during the evening of the last Old Boys' Day to be held at Eltham College's old school buildings in Blackheath. Initially only half a dozen members agreed to play regularly, but eventually the numbers increased to 17 and three fixtures were arranged, starting in early 1912.

The first Chairman of the club was the English international H.J.H.Sibree (1908-09), who found time to play a few games for the club before the first world war. He is probably best-known as the half-back partner of A.Stoop, who played for England and Harlequins - Harlequins' ground is named after him.

By early 1912 the school had moved from Blackheath to its present site in Mottingham. It changed its name from the School for Sons of Missionaries to Eltham College, and the club became Old Elthamians RFC. On January 27th, the club played its first game, against Sutton A, at the school grounds in Mottingham. The remaining fixtures were against Leytonstone (now Wanstead) and Royal Naval School Old Boys. The following seasons, prior to the Great War, a full fixture list was completed with much success. Of the 37 matches played, 30 were won, 5 lost and 2 drawn; 1015 points for, 118 against.

Old Elthamians established a reputation for fine handling and deadly tackling. During the War no games were played and the club was revived in 1920 with only 17 members. However, by the next season there were sufficient members for an A team to play regular fixtures. During the twenties the school expanded and by the early thirties there were sufficient numbers for three or four sides to play on a regular basis. During this period several players represented Kent and two former members gained international honours: A.L.Gracie (Scotland 1921-24) and N.L.Evans (England 1932-33).

After the War the Old Boys Association purchased and donated some land to the school on the understanding that the club could use a pitch on a Saturday afternoon; other games were played on local pitches.

In the mid-thirties some land was bought in Lee and was converted by club members into a sports ground, opening in 1936. Immediately an Old Elthamian Cricket Club was formed. However, this resulted in further growth, with the rugby membership exceeding 100 players. A larger ground was needed but plans were put on hold until after the second world war. Early in the war the existing ground suffered bomb damage, so matches reverted to the school. Rugby was severely curtailed by the conflict, but due to the efforts of one player, J.E.Baldwin, a team was put together, regularly playing over 20 matches a season. The war record was played 134, won 72, drawn 8, lost 54; points for 1479, against 1123.

It was decided to find a permanent ground and Geoff Goemans' father suggested that the Foxbury field should be bought; but in 1936 the Foxbury Estates Limited bought the ground with the idea of developing the ground into a large housing development. The war came and the land was requisitioned by the war office. After the war a new government department called the Town and Country Planning Act came into being and along with the Old Elthamian Association the ground we know and love today became home to a great rugby club. The money for development came from the Eltham College Centenary and War Memorial fund, the whole of the available fund of the Old Elthamians Association, the generosity of individual old boys and a loan from the RFU.

The RFU president visited the ground and is reported to have said "Don’t have anything to do with cricket - put sheep on the field during the summer!" The Association then owned a beautiful undulating meadow and through many hours of voluntary labour turned the ground into the beautiful playing fields we have today.

In the late fifties membership grew with as many as five sides being fielded. In 1961 S.R.Smith was capped for England. By the Jubilee Season the club had played some 3500 games since inauguration.

In the early seventies playing numbers deteriorated and in 1972 it was decided that the club would go open and allow membership to non-Old Elthamians. The result was an influx of new members that allowed six teams to play each week.

In 1974 mini rugby started (the second club to do so in Kent), a thriving section with now nearly 360 players in all age-groups from under 7 to under 17, and recently celebrated its first international - Andrew Sheridan. Junior sides were developed with several players gaining junior international honours. Sheridan is back row, second from the right

In the late 1980s National Leagues were formed, allowing the club to progress to their current status in National 2 South.

Since then membership numbers reduced to the point that the thirds were fielding less than a full team, but thanks to several members, but one in particular - Stuart P'Nut Holden - numbers have again risen to allow the threat/promise of being able to field a fifth team soon. The thirds and fourths take part in Kent's Merit Tables, while the seconds have just been placed in the Zoo League.

Another fairly recent development has seen a Junior Academy formed to try to plug the gap between junior and senior rugby, to give U16s and U17s more exposure to senior coaching and hopefully to provide somewhere for ex-junior members to play before they go to University. This has already provided benefits to the senior club in that at least five players in the first team squad are ex-junior club players, and the second team has the majority of its players as last year's Academy squad.

Two seasons ago, we managed to finish a creditable sixth in National 3 London and South East and claimed some famous scalps on the way. We also were runners up in the Kent Cup, falling to Blackheath in the final. Our ambition is to play exciting, expansive rugby; to progress youth players deemed worthy of the chance and to reach as high a level as we can.

Thanks to some sterling work by Alan Farmer and others, the junior club has recently been awarded the RFU's Seal of Approval, a measure of how well the club is run.

Last season Old Elthamians pushed hard and finished as runners-up to Dorking in Nat 3 LSE, winning all but four of the games played. We had the top try scorer in the league, Renford Bennett, and the top points scorer, Tom White. Our play-off game was at Foxbury against Redingensians, who were runners-up in the South West league: OEs won 17-10 to reach our highest-ever league placing (so far!).

While the successful season on the pitch was being played out, a change of ground was becoming a necessity. Outgrowing the two home pitches and a lack of funds to repair the run-down clubhouse meant a search for new premises and a deal with the school, keen to see National League rugby, will see senior rugby played there from the start of next season.

Meanwhile, the senior section has arranged to play at Barts' Hospital pitch, next door to Foxbury, for the 2014-15 season, with the seconds, thirds and fourths joining the first team there.

The minis and juniors, however, will start down at the school. The whole club will be together at College Meadows for the start of season 2015-16.

To add to the illustrious Old Elthamians who have gone on to international honours, Nick Tompkins has just finished a highly successful season with England's victorious U20 World Cup-winning team. He was picked for Kent, SE England and then the full England team having played all through Old Elthamians' mini and junior sides. He now plays for Saracens, and it was his break against South Africa which set up England's winning score in the World Cup final.

Stuart White, with help from historical documents